Sesame Soy Ginger Meatballs + Noodles – the perfect pork meatball, baked in a delicious and sweet soy ginger sauce and served over chow mein noodles!
I know football season is over, so I kinda missed the buck on timing, but I honestly don’t care. I was craving a good meatball recipe and this is what happened. These were the first flavors that came to mind. I knew it had to be something sweet, reminiscent of this teriyaki sauce recipe, and and covered in sesame seeds and green onions. Mission accomplished because these are awesome, you guys! Seriously, if you are hosting any sort of get-together – this needs to be on your menu. Hell, if you are just serving dinner … just to your family… at any point in the next 24 hours – this should still be on your menu.
I also love that they are served with noodles. And not just any noodles – chow mein noodles. When I went to the grocery store, I honestly wanted soba noodles instead, but they only kind they had were the dark, brownish ones (that I have used before in this soy ginger soba noodles) and I knew they would look horrible with the meatballs. But right next to them were these chow mein noodles – so I thought, what the hell. Even if they didn’t taste good, they would photograph well -right? Why did I assume chow mein noodles tasted horrible? Anyone? Was I automatically assuming they would taste like the chicken chow mien that was served in my elementary school?
I was so wrong.
They were awesome – awesome meatballs, awesome noodles, awesome sauce. Just freakin aweome. (Note to self: don’t write post after midnight and after drinking one or more glasses of wine. You will over-use the word “awesome” and say weird things like “awesome sauce”).
Anyway….., another thing I love about this recipe is that you get to decide how you like your sauce. The way I have the recipe set up, you check the sauce and continually keep tabs on the consistency. If you would like a thinner sauce that will coat the noodles better, then you really don’t need to cook it too long. If you want a little bit thicker sauce, then keep baking in about 10 minutes increments until you reach your desired thickness. It’s up to you guys!
Also, you could easily transfer these to a crockpot, if you need to just keep them warm for an extended period of time.
Your kids will love them, your guests will devour them and you will make them again and again.
That’s it for me tonight – I sincerely hope you guys are having a fantastic week!
Made this recipe and loved it?!
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, sub gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 3 green onions, only the white part and finely chopped
- 1½ – 2 tablespoons ginger, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons canola oil, sub vegetable oil
Sauce:
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sub tamari
- ½ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Serving Suggestion:
- spaghetti noodles
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Make Meatballs: In a large bowl, add 2 pounds ground pork, 2 eggs, ½ cup breadcrumbs, diced garlic, chopped onion, 1½ – 2 tablespoons ginger, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix to combine and divide into 1½ – 2 tablespoon-sized meatballs (use a cookie dough scoop for uniform size). Roll between your hands to smooth.
- Cook Meatballs: Preheat a large cast iron skillet by placing it in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons canola oil to coat the skillet and then place the meatballs inside. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Make Sauce: While the meatballs are baking, add ¾ cup honey, ½ cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ½ cup mirin, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil to a separate bowl. Add this sauce to the pan of meatballs.
- 2nd Bake: Return the skillet to the oven to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes (stirring after 10 minutes) and check the sauce; you want to see it thicken up a little bit and you can decide if you like it the way it is or if you want to bake it a bit longer to get a thicker sauce. If sauce is too runny, bake for an additional 10 minutes and check again (after stirring the meatballs and ensuring the sauce is coating every single one). And repeat process until you get the desired consistency.
- Option: if after baking, feel free to keep meatballs warm in your crockpot!
- Serve: Enjoy over cooked spaghetti noodles!
Notes
- Yield: makes approx. 30 meatballs.
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